The concert...

What does a live solo concert mean to me? It is a moment of truth. It is a test of my own integrity, a new understanding of myself here and now. 
For me, a concert pianist is not someone who has learned to perform complex pieces with virtuosity and knows how to delight the audience with it. A concert pianist is a responsibility. First and foremost, to myself, in testing my own authenticity. Responsibility to the composers whose works I perform. Responsibility to the audience, for whom this concert may also be a moment of truth. But most importantly, it is a celebration of the opportunity to communicate fully through the language of music.
When I go on stage and approach the piano, I am in wonder of the unknown. Every concert is a unique miracle. It does not matter how long I have been performing a particular piece. At every concert I play it as if for the first time.